Arsenal banter 66920

04 Sep 2017 16:21:40
I still find Wenger a complete enigma and as you say his first decade at the club was tremendous. From then onwards, he had to cope with funding the new stadium in an extremely difficult financial era and he had lost the security of having David Dein and Danny Fiszman steering the club from above.

Once they left he took it upon himself to run the club and that is when the problems started. He is the same age as and had a similar education to my French Father-in-law and I can see many similarities in their mindset, which worries me as they are both intelligent, yet obstinate. They believe that they know the correct way and want complete control, eliminating anyone who disagrees.

Over the last 4 seasons, we have won 3 FA Cups, by defeating the League Champions we have lifted 3 Community Shields and have qualified for 3 out of four seasons of CL football. We have no divine right to win the league and the competition is ferocious with the likes of Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea benefiting from huge financial reserves. Most fans would be satisfied with having lifted those trophies. Look at Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton, what have they won in the same period?

This season has worried me as Wenger made two decent signings, but then oddly allowed an experienced CB to depart and replaced him with a young full back turned not particularly successfully into a CB that played in a team that was relegated last season. Then he fell out with Mustafi and clearly tried to move him out, with no obvious replacement. He only sold one of the contract rebels and we now have over £100 million's worth of talent in Ozil and Sanchez, able to walk for nothing at the end of the season.

His policy of buying foreign players who are unable to get a work permit and then loans them overseas has been a failure, as I can't recall any such player making the grade at the club or being sold on for a large amount. His 'socialist' wage policy has been disastrous. Many things are wrong, but would we compete any more successfully with a different manager?

My overall conclusion is that many younger fans know no other manager and have no idea of what it was like to support the club when we went through a difficult spell in the 70's, when we finished 17th and at times had gates as low as 23,000 at Highbury, which at the time held 60,000 spectators. even under Graham we finished 11th one season.

Perhaps we are slightly bored with Wenger and his methods? I just can't envisage success this season and without an FA Cup win to placate the fans can he continue for the next two seasons?

04 Sep 2017 21:31:17
Oh dear raver61 embarrassing yourself again, I havenever stated that the Community Shield is a 'major' trophy, but it is a trophy and one that the toot haven't won outright since 1962 and we all know why, as they haven't won the league for over 56 years. Now raver61 don't be a coward and list all the major trophies the toot have won in your lifetime, I will allow you to include the Community Shiled, which incidentally we have won 3 out of the last 4 seasons by deafening the league champions. As you know raver61 the pain at the lane and Wembley just goes on. 1961, yes 1961!

04 Sep 2017 21:40:30
CTR, diificult as it was to comprehend your post, I will clear up the confusion, of course the Community Shield is a trophy I never called it a 'major trophy' as the halfwit from the toot, raver61, claimed. We still had a day out at Wembley and beat the current league champions and 3 FA Cups and 3 Charity Shields over the last 4 seasons beats zero trophies won by the toot over the same period.